Niñas Poderosas: empowering girls and young women in Latin America and the Caribbean
9th October 2024Since its implementation in 2020, Niñas Poderosas has provided hundreds of girls and young women in Latin America and the Caribbean with resources to strengthen their skills and knowledge to exercise their rights, promoting gender equity and the empowerment of girls and adolescents in the region.
It’s a Saturday morning in Bogotá, Colombia. Isabella, 14, is on a computer in her living room. Today is the third session of the “Niñas Poderosas*” workshops, which are organized by Tejiendo Redes Infancia and focus on children's rights, with special attention on girls' rights.
Isabella is not real, but she represents the dozens of girls and adolescents who participate every two weeks in the Niñas Poderosas workshops, covering topics such as gender-based violence, sexual violence, and girls’ access to education.
Niñas Poderosas is the result of intergenerational dialogues aimed at empowering girls and young women who are part of Tejiendo Redes Infancia’s national coalitions. It is a response to the structural inequalities that limit girls' access to education and digital technologies, exposing them to risks like online violence and social exclusion
Juan Martín Pérez, Niñas Poderosas Coordinator
Tejiendo Redes Infancia is a regional network composed of 22 civil society organizations and coalitions in 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
The violence against children landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean
In recent years, significant progress has been made by governments and civil society organizations to address gender inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean, including preventing and eliminating violence against children.
An increasing number of countries in the region are addressing the magnitude and consequences of violence against children and the importance of data and evidence to prevent and respond to it through policies and legislation.
So far, five countries have conducted a Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) (Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, and El Salvador) or a National Youth Survey (Guatemala) to measure the prevalence of sexual, physical, and emotional violence against adolescents and young people aged 13 to 24.
In countries like Colombia, after conducting the survey, significant changes were made in legislation to protect children’s rights, including the prohibition of corporal punishment and the removal of statutes of limitations for sexual violence crimes against minors.
Despite these advancements, children continue to face numerous challenges that affect their development and well-being, many of which have a larger impact on girls. These include:
Gender-based violence: many girls suffer physical, sexual, and emotional violence at home, in schools, and in their communities.
Access to education: girls in rural and low-income areas often face barriers to accessing quality education.
Health and reproductive rights: lack of access to adequate health services and comprehensive sexual education exposes girls to early pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Economic inequality: poverty and lack of economic opportunities disproportionately affect girls, limiting their future options.
Stereotypes and discrimination: traditional gender roles and discrimination limit girls' opportunities and affect their aspirations.
The impact of Niñas Poderosas
Given these challenges, Niñas Poderosas allows participants to create networks and connect with other young people fighting for more fair and equitable societies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Being part of Niñas Poderosas has helped me use my voice to bring attention to issues in my community. This is a space where I can support other powerful girls and young women.
Danna, 17, Colombia
The workshops are facilitated by specialists and members of civil society organizations in Latin America, including a teenage or youth activist, like Esmirna Beltre (21) from the Dominican Republic, who is part of UNICEF's Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group, or Camila Ollín Pérez Murcio (19) from Mexico, founder of the collective “Evaluación Justa,” which promotes child and youth participation in educational reforms.
This session begins with a presentation on how structural inequalities in our societies affect girls and how they impact their aspirations.
Digital education and literacy are also crucial topics for girls and young people today. During the workshop, experts and participants discuss the impact of girls' limited access to technology.
The lack of access to the internet, electricity, or a Wi-Fi network prevents girls from staying informed and acquiring skills, expressing themselves, and sharing their experiences. Gender roles or stigma also lead to girls having less access or being unable to engage in activities that would be of great help in their future.
Karla, 22, Mexico
The importance of creating support networks among girls, young women, and civil society across the region is also discussed.
The project has fostered the creation of these networks, called “Organizaciones Promoviendo Niñas Poderosas”**, comprised of women and civil society organizations interested in promoting more inclusive and safe environments for girls and young women.
Niñas Poderosas is a safe space where we can practice sisterhood, supporting each other from countries across our region. When we are all together, listening to each other, I feel like we can change the world.
Karen, 14, Mexico
The workshops include a series of learning resources, as well as practical recommendations and concrete actions for participants, aimed at facilitating their activities and actions in their communities.
Through resources such as manuals, videos, films, books, and online tools, the workshops provide a space for dialogue and reflection and promote actions to strengthen their capacity to create positive change in their communities.
Being part of Niñas Poderosas means being able to resist an adult-centric world that ignores the contributions that girls and young women can make.
Itzel, 23, Mexico
Despite the success of Niñas Poderosas, the project has faced certain challenges. These range from access to quality internet and tools like computers or cell phones (mainly in rural communities) to difficulties in reaching certain countries in Central America.
Other challenges related to the school or work schedules of young people were resolved with Saturday sessions. These challenges have required ongoing dissemination efforts and creative work to overcome them.
Niñas Poderosas in action: advocating for the rights of girls and young women
Alongside its work with adolescents, young people, and civil society organizations, Niñas Poderosas advocates with decision-makers, governments, and international organizations to promote public policies that guarantee the rights of girls and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For example, the initiative has been instrumental in promoting and adopting policies and reforms in the Senate of the Republic of Mexico to protect girls and young women against digital and gender-based violence, and to raise public awareness about the importance of gender equity, digital literacy, and online safety.
I encourage all girls and young women who are interested in learning about our rights and how we are reclaiming our spaces to join Niñas Poderosas
Darmha, 17 años, Mexico
The way forward for Niñas Poderosas
Building on the knowledge gathered in the workshops, Niñas Poderosas will support the creation of mini-projects, called Digital and Community Seeds. These will be led by adolescents and young people mentored by women in promoting organizations and will consist of cyber-activism or on-the-ground projects focused on gender equality and the use of reliable data aimed at preventing gender-based violence and empowering girls and young people.
Niñas Poderosas will also establish strategic alliances with local and international organizations to ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of the project.
Finally, it will continue to advocate for laws and programs that ensure gender equality, prevent gender-based violence, and protect digital rights in the region.
In just a few years, Niñas Poderosas has become a leading initiative developed and implemented by a regional organization that is contributing to a more just, equitable, and safe society for girls and young women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This testimony by one of its former participants encapsulates its impact on girls and young women:
Taking part in Niñas Poderosas was a turning point. With just one meeting, which turned into hundreds, I felt empowered to build my cultural identity and continue to create spaces for more girls and adolescents. As a result of this project, I won my first award for defending girls' rights, and three years later, I was awarded the National Youth Award of the Dominican Republic. Today, I have been working with UNICEF Dominican Republic for a year coordinating a space for adolescent participation, which has allowed me to have a direct impact on thousands of young people in my country. I achieved all of this after being part of Niñas Poderosas, a space that was vital for my personal and professional growth, and helped me find my calling, to ensure that girls are our priority and that we don’t stop until we achieve equality.
Esmirna Beltre, 21, Dominican Republic
For more information, you can follow #niñaspoderosas or visit tejiendoredesinfancia.org/ninaspoderosas.
*Niñas Poderosas translates as “Powerful Girls” in English
**Organizaciones Promoviendo Niñas Poderosas translates are “Organizations Promoting Powerful Girls” in English